How to become a user researcher
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- applying directly
- a graduate training scheme
University
You can do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:
- psychology
- human computer interaction (HCI)
- digital marketing
- product design
- graphic design
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
Volunteering
You can volunteer at user research sessions to get some experience. This will be useful, especially if you do not have a degree.
You can also get involved in the online user experience (UX) community and find a mentor to help you.
Direct Application
You can apply directly to user research or digital design companies, or go through a specialist agency.
To apply, you'll need experience in:
- user-centred design practices
- running user research sessions in person and online
- different user research methods
- presenting user research findings in different formats
Other Routes
You could apply for a place on a user research or marketing company's graduate training scheme if you have a degree, for example in digital marketing or product design.
More Information
Career tips
It will be useful if you have experience of working in agile project development.
You can find further information on what a user researcher does at the Government Digital Service.
It will also help if you have a portfolio to show examples of your work to employers.
Further information
You can find out more about working as a user researcher from the User Experience Professionals' Association and techskills.